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The Church was the center of man’s life and man was the center of the universe which everything revolved around.
Fall of the Roman Empire creates a power vacuum that the
Church fills.
Role of the Church during the Middle Ages:
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Government – hierarchy and Coronation
Law – lawyers, court, 10 Commandments, and ruler for warfare
Economy – masses and Saint’s days\bank and major land owners
Social Welfare – doctors, the poor, and orphans
Education – were educated and kept education alive, create universities
Record Keepers – birth, marriage, and death (promogeniture)

 How did the Renaissance movement affect people’s view on the Catholic Church?

 Reformation: religious revolution in western Europe
 Income > salvation
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Popes are warriors & politicians
Vices took precedence over morality
 Humanists response:
 Withdraw and rebuild

 1 st Break – Germany
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Core of HRE – 300 independent states
Vatican sent Johann
Tetzel to raise $$
 Indulgences: pardons for punishment from sin
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Originally a reward
German states: no restriction to sale of indulgences

 Monk – search for salvation
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Revelation: good deeds don’t matter
Inner faith in God only thing that matters
“Justification by grace through faith”
 95 Theses – 1517
 Public challenge of indulgences

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Major issues with the Church
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Bible is sole religious authority
Ceremonies could not make up for sins
Popes & Bishops could not tell people what to believe
 Priests no role in salvation
1521 Pope Leo X declares Luther a heretic
 Excommunicated
Charles V (HREmp) – Imperial Diet
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Diet of Worms: Luther an outlaw
Banned printing and sale of works
Frederick the Wise (Elector of Saxony)
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Hides Luther
Translates Bible to German

 Spread quickly – German princes est Lutheran states
 Charles V: 1546 sent armies against Protestant princes
 Peace of Augsberg 1555:
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German rulers could establish any religion for their state
Subjects didn’t like it they could move

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Sects: new religious groups – no organized churches
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No authority, discipline, membership or rules
Gathering of like minded individuals w/preacher
Anglican Church – England
Henry VIII
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England leaves church b/c
Henry wants a divorce
Leave wife (Catherine of
Aragon) for lady in waiting
(Anne Boleyn)
Parliament passes new church of England – king as the head
Married 6 times – 1 son
Edward VI

 John Calvin – Switzerland
 1536 – The Institutes of the
Christian Religion
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Faith in the Bible
Predestination – God already decided who will be saved
“The elect” – community followed highest moral standards
Geneva – theocracy: gov’t ruled by religious w/god’s authority
Outlaw on Vices

 Huguenot:
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French nobility that converted to Calvinism
1/3 became Calvinists
 Civil War – Huguenots vs.
Catholics 1562
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1598 Henry IV – Edicts of
Nantes
Freedom of worship / political rights
Puritanism – form of
Calvinism

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Counter (Catholic)
Reformation
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Attempt to return the church to emphasizing spirituality
Clarify church doctrine
Campaign to stop
Protestantism
Pope Paul III 1534-1549
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Inquisition – question
“heretics”
Keep Catholics in the church
Pope Paul IV
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Index of Forbidden Books
Books that were harmful to faith and morals

 1545 Church Leaders meet in
Trent
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Met during 3 periods from
1545 – 1563
End abuses of indulgences
Discipline within the clergy
Emphasized the need for ceremonies
People must depend on priests b/c God grants forgiveness through the church
Salvation comes from ceremonies & faith
Every person has free will

 Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
 Ignatius de Loyola – founder 1534
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1540 Pope Paul III recognizes Jesuits as an official order
Followers Vows: chastity, poverty & obedience to the pope
Most effective in spreading
Catholicism
Stressed education
Combined humanist values w/Catholic doctrine

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1530’s – mid 1600’s
 Religious wars in France,
Germany, Netherlands &
Switzerland
Interest in Education
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Jesuits worked to strengthen faith in school
Protestants believed people found the Christian faith by studying the bible
Reading and literacy become important
Gov’tal Power Increases
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Gov’ts, like England, took responsibility for church leadership
Papal powers decreased